The present invention pertains to automatic position adjustment of adjustable components in a vehicle.
Vehicle interiors include a number of components that may be adjusted for the comfort and safety of the driver, including the seat, steering wheel, rearview mirror, left and right side view mirrors and pedals. When one of these components, such as the seat, is adjusted, it is typically the case that another component, such as a mirror, will also require adjustment. This process has been automated by interlocking the adjustment of various adjustable components. For example, Japanese Kokai Patent Application No. Hei 7[1995]-186792 discloses an automatic driving position adjustment system for vehicles that automatically adjusts the horizontal position of pedals in response to the change in the absolute tilt angle of the steering wheel, measured as the angle from the end of the movable range of the tilt angle of the steering wheel. Because this system provides interlocking adjustment of components by detecting the absolute translational position or absolute angular position of one of the components, it requires additional sensors to detect this absolute position or angle.